Classic Bonnie

“Too Soon To Tell” is a late-20th century classic country-pop song written by Nashville songwriters Rory Bourke and Mike Reid (who is a former NFL player!). The recorded version I am referencing in this post is from Bonnie Raitt’s 1989 album, “Nick Of Time”.

I know I sometimes wax poetic about certain songs being near-perfect but this one comes so darn close, perfection singes its hemline. Not only is the song itself a thing of beauty, but Ms. Raitt’s performance is magnificent.

First, let’s talk about the song itself.

The rhyme scheme is simple - a few end-of-line rhymes and scattered internal rhymes. Overall, it’s a song about romance written in the first person perspective. We enter in the middle of the story of a recent breakup; the storyteller is coming to grips with that reality but is uncertain how things will ultimately work out, hence, it’s “too soon to tell”.

The chorus of this song is a one of my favorite choruses ever written in a pop song. The drawn-out “oo” sounds in “too” and “soon” reinforce the contemplative tone and also make the chorus sing-a-long-able (Yup. I just made that word up - Merriam-Webster, please add this to your dictionary.) The song’s chord progression is not particularly exotic, but the diminished chord right after the opening chord adds a lovely twist of melancholy.

Because of its slow, 6/8 tempo, the song contains only two verses and two choruses without a significant instrumental interlude. And that just goes to show that a great song doesn’t really need to be packed full of words.

Let’s shine some light on the arrangement, shall we? Wow. So nice. Smooth, legato guitar licks are supported by a polite, understated drum track and just a whiff of pedal steel guitar. The song was beautifully produced!

So, that’s the song. What about the singer? 

Ms. Raitt, I am not worthy. But here I go: is there anything more heavenly than Bonnie Raitt vocals? I think not. She knows exactly when to hold back and let the song do the work, but she also performs the power-lifting when called upon, such as in the middle of each “Too Soon To Tell” chorus.

Ahhh… I could listen to this gem all day long…  It’s not too soon for me to tell that song will outlive us all.